601.Chapter 601
601.Chapter 601
The middle-aged man remainedposed. He turned to Sariyah, bowed slightly, and said, "I''m willing to step in for Vance."
"No."
"No!"
To everyone''s surprise, both Vance and Sariyah rejected his offer without hesitation.
Sariyah said nothing further after her refusal.
Vance frowned and said, "Isaac, this is my mess. Even if it costs me a hand, I''ll handle it myself. There''s no need for you to intervene."
With that, he stepped forward and said to Nn, "Your Highness, how do you want to settle this?"
Nn smiled. “Let''s keep it straightforward. A fight. Whoever admits defeat first loses a hand."
He paused, then added, "Oh, and to avoid anyone using me of bullying you, I''ll fight you with just one hand. So, do you dare?"
A glimmer of hope shed in Vance''s eyes.
Earlier, he had underestimated Nn, provoking him without knowing his strength.
But after witnessing Nn''s casual knife throw, which left his cousin bloodied and the ground shattered, he realized he was no match for Nn.
At least not in terms of raw power.
However, if Nn was only using one hand, the oue might not be so certain.
With that thought, Vance''s confidence surged back.
"If you are willing to fight with one hand, why wouldn''t I dare to ept?"
"Good," Nn said. "Just don''t surrender too quickly."
He turned to Eliza and said gently, "Go back to your seat and rest for a bit. This won''t take long."
"Alright, be careful."
Even though Eliza didn''t think Vance was a match for Nn, she still instinctively voiced her concern.
Nn didn''t take it as an insult. Instead, he smiled and said, "Rx. Go ahead. Have some fresh coffee first. I''ll make you a better er."
"Alright,” Eliza replied with a smile and returned to her seat.
Sure enough, there was a steaming cup of coffee waiting for her on the table. Eliza picked it up and took a sip, her delicate face showing a trace of surprise. "This coffee doesn''t seem to be from the Malone family?" she murmured.
One of the ck g soldiers leaned in and whispered, "It''s from Nn himself. I saw him take a small pouch out of his coat earlier..."
Before the soldier could finish, Nn''s sharp gaze darted toward him, as if he had sensed the conversation. The soldier immediately straightened up and zipped his lips, pretending he hadn''t said a word.
Eliza couldn''t help butugh. "Your Highness, you''re so thoughtful."
''I''ll have to invite Nn for coffeeter to thank him properly, Eliza thought.
Seeing Eliza drink the coffee he had personally prepared, Nn finally withdrew his gaze, satisfied. Turning back, he focused his attention on the opponent standing before him.
Calling Vance his "opponent" was already far too generous apliment.
With his unmatched power, it wouldn''t be an overstatement to say he had crushed every challenger in his path.
But Vance, having only heard of Nn''s reputation, had no real grasp of his strength. That ignorance cost him dearly. The moment the duel began, Nn''s de moved like a sh of lightning, and before Vance could even process what was happening, he was forced to his knees in an instant.
Vance''s scream ripped through the air, raw and piercing.
His shoulder de shattered on impact, and blood gushed out in a torrent, soaking his entire shoulder in seconds. The agonized cries reverberated across the dueling arena, leaving the crowd frozen in shock.
"Vance!"
601.Chapter 601
"Vance!"
The Malone family, including Sariyah, was shocked.
No one had expected such a devastating injury right at the start of the duel.
The two of them had moved at the same time, but Nn''s speed was so blindingly fast that no one even saw his de.
In the blink of an eye, Vance was forced to kneel in the dirt.
And Nn''s de rested coldly against his neck.
"Your Highness, stop!"
Sariyah''s voice rang out, sharp with urgency.
Nn said impatiently, "What''s the rush? I said I wouldn''t kill him. As long as he doesn''t surrender, I can do whatever I want." Realizing his intentions, Sariyah quickly turned to Vance. "Vance, surrender now!" she urged. "Even if it costs you a hand, it''s better than death! If you don''t, the consequences will be even worse!" But Nn had no intention of giving Vance that chance.
"You''ve got guts. No one''s ever dared to act so brazenly in front of me before. Do you know what happened to thest person who tried to challenge me?" Nn asked.
He slowly pulled his de from Vance''s shoulder.
The pain was excruciating, like fire tearing through his body. Vance wanted to copse, to writhe on the ground in agony. He thought, ''Wait, what did Sariyah just say? Surrender?
''But I haven''t even fought back yet! If I surrender now, how could I ever hold my head up again?
''I''m the eldest grandson of the Malone family, destined to lead it one day!
''No, if I have to surrender, I''ll at least make him
pay first!''
Gritting his teeth against the searing pain, Vance gripped his sword with his uninjured hand and swung it fiercely at Nn, who was still withdrawing his de.
"Drop dead!" he shouted.
Before Vance''s de could even graze Nn, Nn''s powerful kick sent him flying backward.
Like a kite with its string snapped, Vance plummeted straight to the ground, rolling uncontrobly several times before finallying to a stop.
He spat out a mouthful of blood, mixed with unidentifiable clots.
Vance''s face was a mask of shock, panic, and helplessness.
That single kick hadpletely wrecked his internal organs.
''Why? He''s faster than I, but how could he possess such monstrous strength? No, this couldn''t go on,'' he thought. Vance struggled to prop himself up, his voice trembling as he gasped, "Wait... This time, I... I wasn''t ready. I don''t..." As Nn drew closer, an overwhelming sense of dread gripped Vance, making him feel as though death was looming over
him.
Throwing all pride aside, he scrambled to admit defeat.
But before he could finish his sentence, a sh of cold steel sliced through the air. Nn severed one of Vance''s legs cleanly.
Vance''s scream ripped through the air, raw and piercing.
Nn strolled over leisurely, stopping in front of him. He lifted his de with a faint smile and said, "Thest fool who dared challenge me lost his head on the battlefield. But lucky you. I said I wouldn''t kill you, and I always keep my word." But to provoke him and dare to covet Eliza? That was a crime deserving a fate far worse than death.
"Rx. We''ve got all the time in the world. Let''s take it slow."
With that, Nn pointed his de at Vance''s remaining leg.
"No!"
"Vance!"
"Stop this right now!"